Locomotive stoker



March 29, 1932. A R FRANKHAUSER 1,851,624

LOCOMOTIVE sT KER Filed Sept. 25, 1928 IN VEN TOR AiIke/z B Frank/la use/ KM'W A TTORNEY in which floor of the locomotive sition in the cab, to

Patented Mar 29, 1932 LEI-KEN 1B. IUSEB, 0F BBOQKLYN,

STOKEB COMPANY, INCORPORATED, -A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE Locouo'nvE s'roxnn Application m September 25, 1928." Serial up.

My invention relates to locomotive stokers of the type in which the stoker fuel conveying system or that portion ofit which acts directly to convey the fuel is disposed beneath the cab and 'the fuel bin of the tender; and has for its object to provide in a stoker application of this character an illuminated observationjmeans who the fireman may observe the operation of the stoker from his position in the cab.

'.Prior to theusmg of this invention-in stoker installations of this type, the fireman was unable, without opening the fire door, to ob.- serve the operation of the stoker from hJS podetermine the rate at which the fuel was being delivered .to the firebox or to observe whether or not the stoker conveyor stopped or stalled as it sometimes does, due to foreign material in the coal wedging in the conveying s stem. In order observe the operation 0 the stokerfrom hlS position in the'cab 'it has been necessary for the fireman to open the firing door of the firebox and watch the fuel emergmg from the conveying system into the path of the distributing means,',which in addition to inconveniencing the fireman and withdrawing his attention from other duties, had a tendency to decrease economical'efiiciency' of the combustion of fuel within the, firebox -byadmitting an excess supply of cold air over the fire. u

This invention ,consists'in' providing an I illuminated observation passage from the locomotive cab to the stoker as will be hereinafter described in detail and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

fragmentary central longitudinal vertical section through the rearward orcab portion of a locomotive and the stoker applied thereto; I

Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 1 with the firebox backwall in section in 9.

Fig.1 is a plane taken through the firing opening there- On the drawings the locomotive or the rear portion thereof, is indicated generally at 10,

its firebox at 11, the backwall of said firebox being indicated as at 12 and the usual firing er being conveying system dicating the grate-structure of the firebox. The locomotive is provided to the rear of the firebox with the usual cab 15- havin a floor 16, said floor being in substantial ahgnment with a floor 17 of the locomotive tender, a portion of it being indicated as at 18, the tendflexibly connected with the locomotive by the usual coupling member 194 Any form of conveying system that is wholl or partially disposed below the floors 16 an 17 may be used with this invention, but for the purpose of best illustrating the in vention a specific form of conveyor of common usage is shown and hereinafter de scribed. Y

The fuel is brought" forward from the tender by a conveying system comprising a substantially horizontal section generally 1n- 24 is mounted within the conduits 21, 22 for conveying fuel forwardly from..th e, tender through the conduits 21 and 22 and delivering it into the firebox 11 through the elevator, orv rising element '25 of the conveying system from which the fuel is distributed over the firebox by pressure fluid issuing from a distributor head 26.

It be'mg desirable for the fireman to observe the fuel from his position inthe cab without disturbing any part of the locomotive or of the stoker, there is provided for this purpose a novel form of an illuminated observation passage indicated as at 27, extending between the floor 16 of the cab and the conduit 21 of the stoker conveying system, Passage 27 v is formed by a four-sided box-like structure 28, its lower end being open to communicate with an opening 29 in the upperface or wall of the conduit 21, and is supported upon the upper wall of the conduit, the walls of the box 28 forming a closure about the opening 29. The upper end of the box 28 NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO THE STANDARD fits into a correspondingly shaped opening in the floor 16, thus holding the box 28 in its upright position as shown. The upper end of the box-like passage is provided with a cover- 30 havingelongated openings therein forming a grate-like cover,-the top of the cover being flush with the upper side of the cab floor 16. I Y The observation passage 27 is illuminated m by any suitable illuminatlng device, preferably, an electric light or lamp 331 placed within the passage below the grated cover 30 at a suitable height above the opening 29 to direct its rays of light through said opening into the conduit 21. The shade or guard 32 deflects all of the rays of light downward. The electric current may be supplied to the lamp or bulb 31 by suitable wiring from the locomotive generator not shown. The box-like structure 28 forming the observation passage 27 functions to prevent difiusion of the light rays, concentrating them upon the opensection of the conduit 21 and illuminating the fuel passing therethrough 5 by the action of the screw 24, so that the fireman through the grated cover may readily observe the action of the stoker conveyor. This box-like structure also serves to prevent the rush of air or wind into the cab through 80 the grated observation opening and is especially desirable for this purpose in cold weather.

My invention resides in the specific form of illuminated observation passage as dis- 85 closed in the drawings mnd is hereinafter claimed.

I claim: v 1. In combination with a locomotive firebox having a'cab therefor, a floor for said cab,

40 conveying means including a conduit beneath said floor and adapted to deliver fuel to the firebox, an opening in the upper wall of said conduit at a point beneath said floor, a grated opening in the floor and an enclosed passage connecting said openings, and illuminating means in said passage for the observation of the conveying means from the cab.

2. In combination with a locomotive firebox having a cab therefor, a floor for said cab, conveying means including a conduit beneath said floor and adapted to deliver fuel. to the firebox, an opening in the top of said conduit beneath said floor, an opening in said floor and a tubular member forming an en- 6 closed passage between said openings, a perforated cover over said passage and forming a separable part of the cab floor and illuminating means within the passage.

In testimony whereof I afl'ix my signature.

W AITKEN R. FRANKHAUSER. 

